Starting-crank for engines.



W. E. DALE.

STARTING CRANK FOR ENGINES.

APPLICATION men FEB. 9. 191's.

LE -@5394. Patented Jilly 6, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET -l liable/ W. E. DALE STARTING CRANK FOR ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, I915;

Patented July 6, 1915.

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WILLIAM E. DALE, OF WISE, VIRGINIA.

v STARTING-CRANK FOR ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1915.

Application filed 'February 9, 1915. Serial No. 7,177.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. ]:?ALE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wise, in the county of Wise and State of injury to theoperator in the event of back firing of the engine.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described andclaimed, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a top plan view of a starting crank constructed inaccordance with the invention, showing the parts in normal position.Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line 22 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view showing the parts set for acranking action. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view on theline H of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view on theline 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 3.Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the outer crank shaft section and partsattached.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates a suitable framesupport having bearings 2 for a pair of crank shaft sections 3 and 4,respectively. The shaft section 3,

which may be termed the inner shaft section, is provided with a couplinghead 5 of the ordinary well-known construction for engagement with acoupling head 6 mounted as usual on the engine shaft 7 while the outercrank shaft section has fixed thereto a hand crank '8. The two crankshaft sections 3 and 41 extend at their proximate ends into the oppositeends of a drum or cylinder '9 which is closed at its rear end by anintegral head 10 having peripheral ratchet teeth 11 with which areadapted to engage a spring dog or pawl 12 pivotally mounted on the framesupport for holding the drum or cylinder against retrograde rotation,while permitting it to have rotation in the reverse directio The shaftsection 3 extends through the head 10 centrally thereof and carries atits inner end a coupling or clutch member 13,

and is held from longitudinal. movement relative to the drum or cylinder9, while permitting it to have rotary'movement by means of a collarorwasher 14 and retaining pin 15. The coupling or clutch member 13 isfastened to the shaft section 3 and is formed with V -shaped teeth toengage similar teeth upon a coupling or clutch member 16 which is fixedto and carried by the outer shaft section 4:, and this shaft. sectionhas a limited longitudinal as well as a rotary movement, saidlongitudinal movement being suflicient to throw the clutch member 16into and out of engagement with the clutch member 13 when required.

The shaft section 4 extends centrally through a head 17 which is in theform of a disk for closing the front end of the drum or cylinder 9 andis fastened thereto through the medium of the screw members 18, whileloosely surrounding the shaft'section 4 and working against the framesupport is a collar or washer 19 which isheld in contact therewith by acoiled expansion spring 20 which surrounds the shaft 4 and has one endworking against the collar 19 and itsopposite end working against thehand crank 8, the spring being designed to normally hold the couplingheads 5 and 6 out of engagement with each other.

It will of course be understood that when the coupling heads 5 and 6 areout of engagement with each other the shafts 3 and 4:

may be turned in unison irdependently of the engine shaft, and then whenit is desired to crank the engine the shaft -1 is moved inwardly againstthe resistance of the spring 20 to bring the coupling members 5 and 6into engagement with each other.

The head 17 is provided with a pair of diametrically disposed curved orsegmental slots 21 which are adapted to receive pins or projections 22upon the clutch member 1 16 when the same are separated, and the teeththereon will ride over each other so that in this event the shaft iisfree from the shaft 3 so that either may rotate independently. Formed onthe inner side of the head 17" spaced from the ends of the respectiveslots 21 are stop lugs 23 with which but before this occurs the clutchmember the coupling members 5 and 6 are engaged with each other and thehand crank 8 is turned the engine will be started. I

At one end of each slot is an mturned lip or ear 25 which serves todirect the pins or lugs 22 through the slots 21 when the shaft 4: isturned in a reverse direction, and thereby disengage thecouplings orclutch heads 13 and 16 from each other. When the pins or lugs 22. abutthe pins or lugs 23 they will be held against the inner face of the head17 so as not to protrude through the slots, and in this position theclutch heads 13 and 16 are locked with each other. 7

When cranking the engine, should back .fire occur, the clutch heads 13and 16 will automatically disengage from'each other as the teeth thereonwill become out ofmes'h,

16 will become partially rotated so that the lugs 22 thereon willregister with the-slots 21 .so that the clutch head 16 will have aclearance to move outwardly, and likewise the shaft 1 carrying the same,and in this manner the shafts 3 and 4: are freed from [each other sothat the engine shaft on its reverse movement will not disturb the handcrank 8 with resultant injury to the operator or person .cranking theengine.

It will be seen that my invention provides a simple, reliable andefficient type of start-.

- ing device which may be applied for general use, and which may bemanufacturedand sold at a comparatively low cost. What is claimed is 1.A starting crank comprising a crank shaft formed in two sections,coupling members on the respective sections and adapted to beconnected'and disconnected by relative movement d the shafts, springmeans for normally holding said coupling members .on one of the shaftsections for normally holdingit at the limit of its limited rotarmovement.

2. A starting crank comprising a frame support, a pair of shaftsjournaled in said support, clutch heads on the respective shafts, a drumloosely surrounding the clutch heads and having a ratchet wheel, a dogon the frame support and engaging the ratchet wheel to hold the drumfrom retrograde rotation, a hand crank on one of said shafts, a couplingon the other shaft forlocking engagement with an engine shaft, means forholding the clutch heads in positive docked engagement with each otherwhereby both shafts will rotate in unison in one direction butpermitting the separation of. the clutch heads for freein shaftsrelative to each other for pernng inde pendent reverse rotation of oneof the shafts, resilient means for normally holding the shaft sectionsin a position for the disengagement of the coupling from the engineshaft, and, means for limiting the rotation of the..crank carrying shaftwhen the clutch heads have been separated.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

-WILLIAM E. DALE.

Witnesses:

OSCAR M. Vreane, E. L. Bass.

Copies of this patent nlay be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Gommissiener of 1",

Washington, D. G.

